NASA to launch first mission to the sun in 2018

NASA will launch their first mission to the sun in 2018, the space agency announced Wednesday morning.

The spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe named in honour of astrophysicist Eugene Parker, is scheduled to launch during a 20-day window that opens July 31, 2018.

“The solar probe is going to a region of space that has never been explored before,” said Parker. “It’s very exciting that we’ll finally get a look. One would like to have some more detailed measurements of what’s going on in the solar wind. I’m sure that there will be some surprises. There always are.”